Chen explains why he became BlackBerry CEO: ‘I’m the only one they could find’

John Chen is the only man who’s up to the job of running BlackBerry… literally. In an interview at Re/code’s massive tech conference this week, Chen was asked why he, of all the people out there, became the new CEO of BlackBerry. His answer, as relayed to us by USA Today reporter Jessica Guynn, was hilariously honest: “I’m the only one they could find and stupid enough to take it.” Chen has often in the past been blunt about the condition of the company he inherited from former CEO Thorsten Heins late last year and he has described it as a “sick patient” that needs immediate medical attention. He also pointed to the company’s reputation for being unable to meet deadlines as a major obstacle that he’s been trying to overcome to convince businesses that BlackBerry will be a trustworthy partner.